New York Crossover
by Chris Gammon
Summary: RJ regales the family with stories of his travels, especially to one place that he never thought he'd go back too.
1. Once Upon A Time

RJ Raccoon sat in his car seat chair, nodding off to sleep. Even though he was still relatively new to the "family" he felt right at home in his new surroundings. Gone was the nomadic life of a raccoon foraging for food. Now he had people to care about, and to care about him.   
A prick on the bottom of his paw made him wake up and glance down to see Spike, Bucky, and Quillo playing around. They were three porcupine cubs and were as precocious as RJ if they wanted to be. Bucky noticed RJ was awake and signaled the other two to stop playing.   
"Tell us a story Uncle RJ!" Bucky chirped excitedly.   
"Yeah, a story!" Quillo chimed in.  
"Yeah!" Spike added.  
"I wanna here a story too!" Hammy chimed in, dropping from seemingly nowhere from one of the nearby trees.  
"Okay, okay," RJ smiled at the fact they were calling him uncle. "What to tell?"  
Being a nomad gave RJ many tales of his adventures, the most recent he would rather forget of course. But he knew one that just might grab their attention. RJ cleared his throat as the four members of his audience gathered around, listening inventively.  
"Well, as you may know I've been on many travels in my life, and one almost cut it short," he smiled even though memories of Vincent still haunted him. "but the best place I've ever been too was New York City!"  
Unknown to him, Verne was nearby smiling at the sight of RJ regaling the kids with his story. Over time, he began to like RJ and trust him, even though hey still had their disputes every now and then.  
"Unlike the suburbs that surround us, with their quiet streets and high income housing, New York is a gigantic island city with bustling traffic and high income apartments and hotels!"  
Hammy and the kids ohhed and ahhed as RJ smiled with the satisfaction of captivating his listeners.  
"There's also animals you won't find around here! Like giant alligators in the sewers! And not to mention all the different animals at the zoo they have!" RJ continued.  
"Awesome!" Quillo said.  
"Can we go to New York, RJ?" Spike asked.  
"Please?" Bucky pleaded.  
"Yeah RJ! Please?" Hammy begged, his soulful eyes blinking.  
Verne watched intently, not liking where this was going at all.  
"Well, it's pretty far away, and it's not really that great. I mean…" RJ trailed off as he saw the three kids about to cry. _Think, RJ!_ He thought to himself. _This could be your chance to make amends for what you did to them. Take them on a trip to your favorite city and just make sure nothing goes wrong!_  
"Okay, okay, you guys win! I'll make travel arrangements to go to New York! And trust me, you haven't lived until you had a New York style potato chip!"   
The three cubs and Hammy cheered and tackled RJ giving him a group hug. All RJ could do was laugh.  
Verne shook his head and got ready to be the downer once again. Then he realized that he didn't always have to be the downer. Maybe going to New York would be fun after all…  
A few hours later, everyone was ready to go and eagerly awaiting the word from RJ. After what seemed like an eternity, RJ popped his head through a nearby bush and signaled the others to follow. After walking though the foliage, they were greeted by the sight of a bus terminal and a giant bus sitting in the lot.  
"This is what they call a Greyhound!" RJ explained to the others. He kept forgetting that they haven't seen as much as he had. "Unlike the dog, you don't have to clean up after this one!"  
"So what do we do?" Heather asked, eager to go and do some big city shopping. Well, as much shopping as a opossum could do anyway.  
"We hide in its stomach!" RJ said, opening the luggage compartment. "Spacious, comfortable," RJ reached into the darkness and pulled out a bag of chips, "and in flight snacks!"  
The others made noises of amazement as they filed into the bus. It was going to be a long, but well worth it trip.  
"What about our home?" Verne suddenly asked.  
"Don't worry, I've got it all under control!" RJ said confidently, thinking of their log surrounded with those left over lawn gnomes the Verminator left behind.  
"Ready to go to the big city, Puffball?" Stella the skunk asked the big Persian cat.  
"Yes my love, and we will have a romantic evening together!"  
Everyone grew silent as the bus began to move.


	2. Bitting The Big Apple

"Alright folks! You've been a wonderful audience! Thank you and goodnight! And don't forget to tip the staff workers!"The cheering crowd began to dissipate as the star performer hopped down off his platform after another rousing show. Alex the Lion was always the star attraction. But even though he was the headline act, he never forgot about his friend, who he was just happening to approach.  
"Another great show as always!" his friend, a zebra, said as he slapped Alex a high five.  
"Yeah, and to think I was actually worried my act was stale!" Alex remarked.  
"Nah! It was fresh-alicious!" the zebra, Marty by name, complimented.  
"You really think so? I think I may have over flourished the finale a bit."  
"Nonsense, man! You were great!"  
As the two friends talked, Alex noticed a newspaper behind Marty. "You actually believe those horoscopes?" Alex asked.  
"Not really, but this one sounds interesting. You will meet new people! I like meeting new people!"  
"Marty, you live in a zoo! New people come by all the time!" Alex explained.  
"Well, then I guess it's true after all!" Marty said with a grin.  
Alex rolled his eyes when he heard Gloria, the nearby hippo, wake from her sleep and rise from the water. "What's all the racket?" she asked, letting out a gaping yawn.  
"Marty thinks the horoscopes in the paper are true!" Alex teased.  
"I do not! I just said that one came true!" Marty said defensively.  
"I'm just teasing you!" Alex said, holding his hands up. "Sheesh!"  
"Hey, let's go out again!" Marty perked up.  
"Didn't you lean anything? Sure the wild is nice, but it's better for us here, in the zoo." Alex said, pointing to the ground for emphasis.  
"I'm just teasing ya!" Marty said with a grin.  
Alex rolled his eyes again.

It hadn't been as long of trip as they thought it would be. From Ohio suburbs to New York City life in under 5 hours.  
About 19 blocks away from Central Park, a Greyhound bus pulled into the terminal The luggage hatch popped open and the animals filed out to take in their impressive surroundings. RJ had seen it all before, of course. But the fond memories coupled with the joy of seeing everyone else's reaction made it all seem brand new again. He smiled a broad smile and muttered to himself, "Welcome back RJ."  
Hammy was already speeding around like his normally hyper self. Mainly because he had to go "pee-pee" as he put it so nicely. After covering nearly half of 8th Avenue and passing by Madison Square Garden in his quest, he returned to the others, a look of relief on his face.  
"Now remember, this isn't like the suburbs, so I want everyone to stay close so they don't get lost." Verne was warning the others like a worried parent. RJ walked up and wrapped an arm around Verne's shell.  
"You worry too much Verne, everything will be fine. The coolest part about New York, is that there are so many landmarks you can't get lost!"  
Verne had to admit, this place was amazing.  
"You think maybe I would have a shot on Broadway?" Ozzie the opossum asked, promptly playing dead in his overly dramatic fashion.  
Heather walked up to him, and gave him a gentle nudge. "I don't think there's any openings now, Dad."  
"Follow me guys! If it's still there, I've got an old pad in Central Park we can hang out at! A home away from home!" RJ said, gesturing everyone else to follow him. They did so, with Verne at the end of the line making sure no one wandered off.  
The animals began their trek up 8th Avenue. When they reached the intersection of 42nd Street, Hammy ran off to investigate the pretty lights he saw nearby. Everyone else followed and was immediately taken aback by the grandeur of Times Square. Everyone gazed at the giant television that graced the side of the building, showing NBC programming.  
"This is bigger than that projection TV you guys got for me!" Heather said, staring up at the gigantic screen. She looked over to see her dad had once again played dead in surprise.  
"Is the whole city like this?" Verne asked in awe.  
"Nope, it's better!" RJ said, grabbing Verne and dragging him behind him. As they tried to cross the street, a Taxi almost hit them, but they narrowly escaped.  
"What was that?" Verne asked.  
"That's what the humans call a Taxi. They pay the human inside to drive them to places. Humans not only are losing their ability to walk, but also the will power to drive their own cars." RJ said like he was some sort of expert tour guide.  
Verne looked on in surprise. He smelled something in the air. Something familiar.  
"HOT DOGS!" Hammy cried, and ran to the cart in the middle of Times Square.  
RJ chased after him and grabbed his tail, jerking him back. Hammy frantically pawed at the air, trying to break free of the raccoon's grasp, but to no avail.  
"Hang on there Hamilton! You do not want to eat those! They're nothing like the ones back home! If you saw a list of what's in those things, you'd reconsider."  
"AWW." Hammy said, slumping his shoulders.  
"When we find my pad in Central Park, then we'll go foraging! Okay?" RJ asked, patting Hammy on the shoulder.  
Hammy nodded, still a bit sad.


	3. Furry Warfare

"My therapist said that to overcome my fear of heights I have to hang around tall buildings. Now I'm afraid of buildings falling on me."  
Alex shook his head and leapt off the roof of Melman the giraffe's shed.  
"Come on, Melman! It's a great day today!" he said, tap dancing.  
It was pointless. If Melman didn't want to come out, there was no way of getting him to come out.  
Alex sighed and hopped back into his pen when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He leaned over the wall and saw four penguins waddling by, carrying a fishing pole and a few other items.  
"What are you guys doing?" he finally asked.  
The penguin in the lead stopped and faced Alex. "Top secret stuff. Real top secret!"  
"Well, Skipper, have fun doing whatever." Alex said, knowing it was useless to get them to talk anymore than it was to get Melman outside. Why is it no one listened to him?  
He heard a rattling in the bushes nearby and hopped over the wall to investigate.

They had made it to 56th Street running through Central Park, and now all that was left was to remember where his pad was.As RJ pondered this, everyone else began to grow restless, shaking the bush they were hiding in.  
"I think it's past the Jackie O Reservoir" RJ muttered to himself.  
"Who?" Verne asked, shaking a twig out of his shell.  
"You know? Kennedy's wife?" RJ asked, glancing at Verne.  
"Oh." Verne said, still having no idea who he was talking about.  
Without warning a massive paw spread the bush apart, letting in sunlight and something else. The curious muzzle of a hungry lion!Ozzie instantly played dead, while everyone else was running around in a panic. Tiger had huddled to protect Stella, Hammy was screaming like he was going to die, and Verne tucked into his shell.  
RJ looked frantically around to see that no one would be of any help. With a determined look, he reached into his trusty bag and produced a Nerf dart gun. He pumped up the toy and fired, hitting Alex right in the eye with the foam missile.  
Alex stumbled backwards and hit the ground. After shaking off the slight pain, he looked back into the bush to see the animals were gone.  
"Weird." He thought.  
"What's weird?" Marty asked, coming over to investigate.  
"A raccoon, a turtle, a skunk, a squirrel, two possums, a bunch of porcupines, and a house cat were all hiding in that bush. When I found them, the raccoon shot me in the eye with a dart!" Alex explained, holding up the dart as evidence.  
"Whatever man. Sounds like you need some rest!" Marty said, playfully nudging Alex back to his pen.

"Jeepers! What was that?" Penny Porcupine asked, gasping for breath."That was a lion! One of the many zoo animals that you won't see in the suburbs! You thought Vincent was bad, whoo man!" RJ said, holding his knees and panting.  
"I knew this was a bad idea! My tail was tingling from the start!" Verne was mumbling, more to himself than to everyone else.

"OW! Stop it!" Alex snapped as Marty examined his eye.  
"So you're saying that some woodland animals did this?" Gloria asked, looking at Alex's red eye.  
"I told you it was a bad idea to come out! Now we got vermin drive bys!" Melmam said from inside his shed.  
Alex glanced over at Melman and rolled his eyes.  
"I wonder what they're doing here?" Marty asked, putting a hoof to his chin in thought.  
"Who knows. Maybe they're lost like we were." Alex shrugged.  
"We should help them find they're way back home," Gloria said.  
"I don't know. Last time we tried to help someone find they're way back home we got into a lot of trouble." Alex remarked, glancing playfully at Marty.  
"Hey, I didn't ask ya'll to come after me in the first place!" Marty said with a grin.

"Okay troops!" RJ commanded, pacing the lineup of the other animals. "They have teeth, claws, and, not to mention, size on their size. But we've got manpower, know how, and…."  
RJ reached into his bag and produced a toy gun loaded with six ping pong balls. "Weapons!"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Weapons?" Verne asked, shaking his head and walking up to RJ. "Weapons are dangerous!"  
"Only if the wrong person uses them!" RJ quipped, not noticing Hammy snatching the gun away and peering down the barrel at the white balls inside. RJ gasped and snatched it back.  
"We do not play with loaded weapons…unless I'm around!"  
"So we're going to go out there and shoot at a lion with these plastic balls and hope for the best?" Verne asked, growing irate.  
"Hey, if we want some of the good, old fashioned New York food, we've got to get past them! They may not appear to be a threat, but don't be fooled!" RJ warned, gesturing Verne to join him in looking over the wall. Verne pulled himself up to see what RJ was looking at. They admired the sleeping lion, surrounded by steak bones, and bars.  
"He's in a cage, he can't hurt us!" Verne argued.  
"If he wanted to, he'd break out of there! We've got to preempt! Whose with me?" RJ yelled, turning to the others.  
"I am! I'm with you all the way!" Hammy said, waving his hands in the air.  
"No one's with anybody!" Verne protested. He glanced at the sign on the lion's cage then climbed down to the others. "I'm sure Mr. Alex is understanding and would let us pass freely if we promised not to start any trouble."

After arguing for a few more minuets, they finally decided for the stealth approach. They sneaked through the gates of the zoo, with only reaching the other side of the area in mind. RJ, unknown to everyone else, kept his bag with the ball gun close, just in case.  
Alex stirred and rolled over, invoking RJ to have memories of Vincent when he snuck into his cave. But if it wasn't for that unfortunate event, he would've probably never met Verne and the others.  
As they passed by, they failed to notice the inhabitant of the next pen see them.  
"GHA! VERMIN!" Melman shrieked and ducked back into his shed. This awoke Alex and the other two neighboring animals.  
RJ was afraid now.  
"What the heck is goin' on over here?" the zebra asked, leaning over the wall.  
"Well aren't you all just the cutest little things?" a hippo asked, admiring the band of creatures.  
"What's going on?" the lion asked, not sounding at all vicious.  
Everything seemed to spin as the three animals all talked at once, admiring their presence.  
RJ didn't hesitate. He whipped out the ball gun and began firing, making Alex flinch back and grab his nose in pain.  
"What was that for!" he asked, sounding angry.  
"RUN!" RJ commanded, and they took off.  
The giraffe, zebra, hippo, and lion looked on in awe.

"Wake up! Look! We got visitors! And boy are they strange!" a voice said, nudging his partner awake.  
The other wokeup and looked at the group of animals making their way across the zoo. "They're heading towards the penguins. They really should put that gun away, or they wouldn't like what would happen." The other observed.  
"Oh, come on Maurice! Don't be such a downer! This might be fun to watch!" King Julien exclaimed, hopping down from the tree in his cage. How they wound up in the New York Zoo is a story for another time.

The furry entourage made their way past the next few exhibits when they noticed the air got slightly cooler. They were near an artic type display, with an igloo in the center. Four penguins were standing watch, smiling and waving.  
Skipper, the lead penguin, glanced at the group and noticed the gun in RJ's hands.  
"WE'VE GOT HOSTILE INVADERS! MAN THE BATTLESTATIONS!" Skipper yelled, causing the taller penguin to drop to his knees and the other tall penguin run up behind him.  
"FIRE" Skipper commanded. Without warning, the kneeling penguin began coughing up projectiles, much to the disgust of Verne.  
RJ returned fire, sparking a cute little war. Unfortunately, he was down to only two balls, which were promptly used up in two missing shots.  
RJ tossed the gun and reached into his bag, producing another gun, this one with a red tip. He began firing a stream of water at the penguin commandos, only to find they really did have waterproof feathers. The force of the blast knocked them backwards however.  
The furry soldiers ducked behind the displays wall to re group.  
"We're not going to make it! It's game over man! GAME OVER!" Hammy began bawling.  
"Snap out of it!" RJ barked, lightly slapping Hammy back to sense, or whatever he called sense.  
RJ managed to rustle up another toy gun from his bag, a BB Gun, and began returning fire. But it was useless, as the penguins obviously had some sort of combat training. RJ failed to notice the taller of the penguins coming up behind him, and all he felt before everything went black, was a fin hitting the back of his neck.

RJ came too only to find everyone else was in a similar condition. Whatever happened, it worked fast. He glanced upwards as he pulled himself up off the ground and noticed the short penguin rummaging through his bag.  
"Hey man! That's my stuff! Private property, pal!" RJ snapped, finally standing upright.  
"Aha!" Skipper said triumphantly as he produced a bag of chips. "Contraband!" he looked over to the other penguins. "Rico! Interrogation!" he commanded, pointing to RJ.  
Rico saluted then waddled off, only to return with an anvil that looked impossible for him to carry. He hoisted it up and over RJ, ready to drop it.  
RJ fell to his knees. "OKAY! I'LL TALK!" he bawled.  
Skipper gestured to drop the anvil and Rico did so, mourning the fact that he wasn't going to squish the raccoon.  
"What's your name, rank, and serial number soldier?" Skipper asked, pointing a fin to RJ's nose.  
"I'm not a soldier, I'm a raccoon." RJ replied sheepishly, holding up his fur as a visual aide.  
"Look smart guy! You come in here brandishing weapons and smuggling food items into a pay only facility, and you expect us to buy that guff?" Skipper barked.  
"We're American, like you are!" Hammy chimed in. This made Skipper seem to relax a bit.  
"Well, if you're one of us, I guess I can let you off with a warning. It is your first offense after all. Now get out of here before I change my mind!" Skipper commanded, waving his fin in RJ's face as if shooing him off.  
RJ nodded a thank you and the group was off before anyone could say another word.

"Did you see that Maurice? All that fighting and all that! Wasn't that cool!" King Julien asked, swinging upside down from a branch of their tree.  
"Yeah, sure…" Maurice mumbled, rolling his eyes.


	4. Ransom

Robert DeNiro as the "Mob Pigeon"

"Well that was a close one." Verne muttered as they made their way to the zoo's exit. "I'm just glad everyone is alright."RJ sighed in relief that it was all over. He was just glad this was the only trouble they encountered so far. There was something he didn't tell the others, and he hoped to not have to at all. He just wanted to have a nice vacation to make the kids happy, not to drag them into past problems.  
The penguin attack was new, but there were others lurking in the city that knew RJ all too well.  
"So how much further to your pad?" Stella asked, snapping RJ from his thoughts.  
"Not much further!" RJ called back, trying not to sound distracted.  
After walking past the famous archway guarded by Balto, various statues of writers, poets, and the like, and the sculpture of Romeo and Juilet, they finally reached a narrow bridge spanning over a giant body of water.  
"This is the reservoir I was talking about. Across this lies my former pad. If it's still there." RJ mumbled the last part under his breath.  
The group trekked across the bridge, with Hammy in the lead so his speed wouldn't knock anyone else off. When they finally made it across, they were greeted with destruction. Where RJ's pad once resided now looked like a trash bin, mostly full of cigar stubs. RJ looked at one, feeling worry creep into his body. He recognized the brand.  
"RJ! Nice to have you back!" a gruff voice called, and RJ instantly snapped his head up to see if his suspicions were correct.  
They were.

A short pigeon, with a cigar stub hanging from his beak, walked up to the raccoon and looked up to meet his stare. "The heat should be off by now, so if you want to stay you can."  
The others looked on in confusion as RJ continued to talk with the bird that he obviously knew. But they noticed that he seemed worried, uncomfortable. Like he didn't want to know this guy.  
"So, um. What happened to my pad?" RJ asked, trying to sound calm as he rubbed the back of his head.  
"You were gone so we made it our pad! But now that you back, you can have it!"  
"Thanks…" RJ muttered.  
"So you ready to start work again?" the pigeon asked.  
RJ hesitated for a reply. He began panting nervously tossing around in his mind on what to say.  
"No." he finally spat. "No, I don't."  
The pigeon seemed disappointed, but didn't say a word. He shook his head and flew off. RJ's posture instantly changed as if whatever was holding him stiffly upright was suddenly gone.  
"What was that all about?" Verne asked, noticing the raccoon's strange behavior.  
RJ whirled around on his heel and began rambling excuses. "Nothing….nothing at all…just an old…uh….business partner….right!"  
Verne cocked a brow but let it go. Even though he respected RJ's secrets, he never liked them if they could harm the family.  
"Now let's go foraging!" RJ said, clasping his paws together.

The tall buildings and the expanse of the city made it difficult to steal fresh food. But there were plenty of restaurants and shiny silver cans to indulge from. Everyone split up to cover more ground, but Verne made sure they stayed in the same area just in case.  
"Didn't you notice RJ acting strange around that bird?" Verne asked.  
"Yeah, I haven't seen him that worried since we first met him." Stella said, picking up and empty box and tossing it aside.  
"I mean, it's none of my business, but I'm worried that he might drag us into something again."  
"Relax. He's changed enough that he wouldn't get us involved in his affairs again."  
Verne sighed and went back to work.

Hammy was darting around looking for cookies. He could smell them but didn't see them. Finally, he found a cookie on the sidewalk that someone had dropped. As he ran towards it, it began to move. Hammy was unaware that this was a trick, and kept chasing it until everything went black. He was in a bag or something.  
Everyone had finished gathering their food and went off. Verne decided to do a head count, just to be sure no one got lost. Everyone was accounted for, except Hammy.  
"Where's Hammy?" Verne asked the group.  
"Maybe he went back to the park to wait for us?" Heather asked.  
RJ felt a knot in his stomach, but accepted Heather's answer. "Let's check there!" he added.  
When they returned, RJ was first on the scene and luckily the first to find the note. He didn't know that it was there, but was glad Verne didn't find it.

WE HAVE THE RODENT! COME FIND US! THE OFFER STILL STANDS!

"What's that? "Verne asked, causing RJ to jump and spin around, wading the note in his paw behind his back.  
"Nothing! Nothing!" he stammered, beginning to pant again, since raccoons don't sweat.  
"RJ! If it has something to do with Hammy, we need to know!" Verne said sternly.  
RJ finally looked down, defeated, and handed the crumpled note to Verne.


	5. The Hammy Trap

Hammy was nervously wringing his paws, wondering what was going to happen to him or if anyone was going to come for him. When he was finally released from his bag prison, he found he was in the presence of the same pigeon from the park, and a couple of other pigeons who let the one do all the talking.  
He noticed that the head pigeon was equally nervous. Pacing back and forth like something was troubling him.  
"You know why we're glad RJ's back in town?" he asked the squirrel, catching Hammy off guard with the question.  
Hammy shook his head, feeling uncomfortable.  
"Because he knew his place! He did what he was told, no questions asked. Not like these young punks today." The pigeon shook his head and flew over to his makeshift desk, slumping his head into his wings. "We have to face facts. We're as ancient as the dinosaurs we evolved from. Back in my day we had family, tradition, respect, honor among thieves! But not today, no! These young rat hooligans and their cock-a-roach 'gang bangers' and all of that, just makes me sick!"  
Hammy didn't know what the bird was talking about, but noticed that obviously he was troubled. So, ever trying to be cheerful, he tried to help.  
"I don't think you're so bad. Well, other than kidnapping me…" Hammy replied meekly, glancing away.  
The pigeon looked up. "What do you mean?"  
"Well, I'm afraid of you. That should mean something, right?"  
The pigeon flew over to the shivering squirrel and looked him over. Then he let out a riotous laughter.  
"You know kid, you're right! I like you, you've got moxy!" he wrapped a wing around Hammy's shoulders. "What's yer name kid?"  
"H-H-Hammy." He stammered.  
"Hammy, huh? Listen, for making me feel better about myself, how about you help us out?"

Verne was furious, but didn't let it show. He dropped the note and gave RJ a look that could kill on contact.  
RJ knew this was his fault, and if the others didn't want to help him, then he'd do it himself. Which he was planning on doing alone anyway.  
"RJ, why didn't you warn us about this? Now Hammy's off somewhere and could be hurt. Or worse!" Verne said sternly.  
"I didn't even know those guys were still around here, let alone kidnapping others to get me back! I swear, if I knew any of this would've happened I would've never agreed to the trip!" RJ replied, crossing his heart and giving Scouts Honor.  
"Well we certainly don't know this city, and even if you knew where to find them, we don't know what they want." Verne argued, calming down a bit.  
"I do. They want me…" RJ said, glancing off to the side.  
"What?"  
"Look, it's a long story, and I'll explain it later. Right now we got a rescue mission to attempt!"

Hammy didn't like the idea of luring RJ into a trap, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He was to attract the attention of RJ, then get him close enough for an ambush so the pigeon could talk to him personally. It seemed simple enough, but Hammy would never forgive himself.  
The pigeon's obviously knew where RJ would look first, as they told him to stay in his current spot, near Central Park. Hammy didn't dare try to make a run for it, as he knew that he would jeopardize everyone if he did.  
As if on cue, RJ and the others were visible from a few blocks away, calling Hammy's name and looking in any and all places he could be. Verne was the first to see Hammy and started to approach him until he was grabbed by his shell and dragged back to the group. Verne glared at RJ wondering what that was for.  
"This is too easy. It's me they want, so I'll go." RJ volunteered. Verne nodded in agreement.  
RJ slowly approached Hammy, and noticed he was frantically waving his paws in the air as if warning him about something. RJ wasn't dumb, and knew exactly what was going to happen. He was prepared.

Little did he know how wrong he was.

"Hammy! Thank goodness we found you!" RJ cried in a stilted voice. He never was a good actor. "We thought you were a gonner!"  
"RJ, it's a trap!" Hammy whispered. RJ winked in acknowledgement and continued on.  
"I sure hope that nothing happens to spoil this lovely moment!" he called to the air, knowing the birds were listening. Without warning he grabbed Hammy by the shoulders.  
"Play along!" he whispered to the squirrel, and planted a big kiss on his lips. He knew this would get a rise. He could already hear the other animals moaning in disproval.  
Before the pigeons could recover from their disgust in order to attack, an unexpected factor dropped in. A huge, stray Doberman with one eye leapt from the bushes, snatched RJ in his jaws, and sped off. Everyone was in awe at what just happened.  
"I don't think that was part of the plan…" Hammy muttered.

The dog spat RJ onto the ground like he was already dead. The raccoon picked himself up and dusted his fur off."Thanks for saving me back there! That was totally unexpected! I mean really, I thank…."  
When he turned to face his savior, he felt his heart hit the ground.  
"Hello RJ…" the dog growled, smiling an evil grin. "It's been awhile."


	6. Past Differences

Mark Hammil as Killer  
Snoop Dogg as G. Rat  
Cheech Marin as Cucaracha

RJ couldn't believe it. The one who saved him only did so as to have the pleasure of ripping him apart himself.  
"Hey, Killer! Long time no see! What brings you around these parts?" RJ asked, trying to play it cool.  
"Don't play coy with me furball! You know what brings me here!" Killer sneered. "You took something of mine!"  
RJ looked at where Killer's eye used to be, and grimaced.  
"That was an accident." The raccoon muttered, staring at his toes like it would make the dog go away.  
"Sure it was!" Killer laughed. "Then you left me to suffer while you made off with all my stuff!"  
RJ was beginning to sense a pattern here. First Killer, then Vincent. It seemed he had a death wish. He got lucky when he was saved from Vincent, but this situation here would take more than a day to repair.  
"We were friends RJ!" the dog spat. "Then you sold me out to save your own hide! You always were scum!"  
RJ could actually feel the words dig into his body. Killer was right, he was scum. Now he got Hammy involved, and everyone else is in trouble, and for what? To save himself? Maybe that's why he came to the family's rescue from the exterminator, as he felt guilty for not coming to Killer's rescue earlier. In fact, it was his friendship with this dog that allowed him to become so proficient in bribing the dogs of suburbia to leave the family alone.  
"So I guess it's only fair that I do to you what you did to me! Should I kill you now, or let you suffer to feel my pain?" Killer asked, reading a claw. "An eye for an eye?"  
RJ began panting again, and the first thing that came into his head was the worst. He took off running as fast as he could. But surprisingly, the dog didn't give chase. This worried RJ even more. If he went back to the family, Killer would harm them too. He had to stay away from them in order to save them.

He was alone now…

Hammy couldn't believe what happened. First the big dog saved RJ, then the penguins came and saved them. Apparently they were out of their cage and saw the whole thing, and couldn't let "one of their boys" get in trouble. Though Hammy was grateful for the rescue, he couldn't help but think of RJ. What he did back there. He…kind of liked it…even though it was only an act.  
And now it was his fault that RJ was wherever. He didn't know if the dog was a threat or not, but felt it was his duty to try and find him anyway. Against the protest of the others, Hammy left in search of his friend.  
A hyperactive squirrel roaming a city he's never been to before. Bad idea…  
Soon Hammy was wandering at a snails pace, his shoulders slumped and a frown on his face.  
"This is hopeless…" he squeaked. Then he saw a ray of hope, a light from a poster on the side of the subway entrance. There was Alex the Lion, standing with open arms, welcoming all to the zoo.  
"Maybe he can help!" Hammy perked up, and took off at lighting speed towards the zoo.

"Maybe Hammy don't want us to find him, Dad." Heather said, looking at he father searching in a pile of boxes in an alley.  
"Nonsense, Heather! He's family and we got to help him. We help him we're better able to help RJ!" Ozzie replied.  
"C'mon Dad! You saw how Hammy's eyes lit up when RJ kissed him. It was all an act, sure, but maybe he just felt he had to do this himself."  
Ozzie stopped and nodded in agreement. "You're right. But that doesn't mean we should stop looking!"

"That stunt RJ pulled was going too far!" Verne seethed as he, Stella, and Tiger were searching in another area.  
"Come on Verne, it was all an act." Stella assured.  
"Indeed!" Tiger proclaimed. "I know love, and that looked like it was partially on purpose!"  
"I don't know. But if it was, then fine!" Stella said, putting her paws on her hips.  
Verne wouldn't know how to act if that were true. But decided to worry about that later.

Ozzie and Heather continued the search on their side of town. When they got to another alley they head voices.  
"Pops ain't gonna know what hit him! That old foo will be dusted and we will control the streets of New York!" a smooth voice said.  
The two opossums hid behind a newspaper box to remain undetected and saw two figures emerge from the alleyway. One was a grey rat with dreadlocks and gold front teeth. The other was a giant New York cockroach wearing a shred of bandanna on its head.  
"Yeah, then we will control the food trade in this city!" the roach replied in a Hispanic accent.  
"Most animals steal for survival, but for us, it's strictly bidness!" the rat laughed.  
"Just think, we do all the stealing then sell it to the others who aren't as talented as we are! It's genius!" the roach said, waving his legs in the air.  
"Yeah, and if they can't access any money, they pay us by becomin' our bizatches!" the rat said with a smile.  
The two opossums couldn't believe what they were hearing. Ozzie had heard enough and leapt out to confront the hoodlums.  
"Hold it right there! No one is becoming your, uh…what did you call them?" Ozzie asked sheepishly.  
"Who's this foo? Cucaracha, lets dust this sucka!" the rat said, drawing a BB gun that was almost as big as he was.  
Ozzie instantly began playing dead and fell to the ground limply. The two attackers looked at his form on the ground and began laughing.  
"Who does he think he is? Shakespeare?" the roach laughed.  
The rat walked up to Ozzie and gave him a light kick to see if he would move.  
"Tell yo friends that these streets belong to G. Rat! And if theys got a problem wit dat, tell im to come talk to me!"  
"Hey holms! Look at the pretty girl I found!" the roach called.  
Heather was trying to shove the bug away from her, making disgusted faces as he advanced on her.  
"What's a matter girl, never seen a cucaracha before?"  
"Heather!" Ozzie shouted, and bolted off the ground. In a feat of courage he shoved the bug off his daughter and grabbed her hand. They ran off into the night.  
"Should we chase them?" the roach asked.  
"Nah, we got more important things to worry about!" G. Rat said, walking off.

"Okay, here's the plan. You go in there and steal all the goods that he has, then bring them back here. Capice?" the pigeon asked a young RJ.  
RJ nodded and scurried over the fence of the suburban home. Queens was a nice neighborhood, nicer than some other developments.  
Once he cleared the fence, RJ recognized the house. It was where Killer lived. Killer was a big, mean Doberman who had befriended RJ because he would split the hauls with him. The pigeons didn't know this of course, but wanted the food they though the dog had obtained on his own.  
RJ approached Killer's doghouse, with Killer sleeping nearby. The dog stirred awake and caught RJ stealing some of the food.  
"What's going on RJ?" he asked, confused.  
"I'm sorry, but I have no choice." RJ muttered, and continued working.  
"What do you mean? RJ are you taking back my half?" Killer asked, more hurt than angry.  
"Look, I don't have time to explain right now, and they're not supposed to know of our deal anyway. So keep it quiet and I'll repay you somehow!"  
Killer grew angry. "Who isn't supposed to know?"  
"The Pigeon Family. I…work for them…and now…" RJ sighed, trying to think of how to word this. "They want your half."  
"So you're selling me out? And you didn't even tell me you're working for them! I thought you were better than that RJ!"  
"Yeah, well…I'm not!" RJ spat, then looked away, his face showing disappointment.  
"INDIAN GIVER!" Killer snarled, and began chasing RJ around the yard. In a moment of desperation he managed to reach the gutter pipe of the house and scurry up it towards the roof. But before he could grab the roof, Killer yanked the pipe away from the house, forcing RJ to reach for his goal. When he finally got a hold of the edge of the roof, he pushed off with his feet, causing the gutter pipe to come crashing down upon the dog.  
RJ ignored the howls of pain as he scurried back down and continued loading up on food. He was unaware of how much pain the dog was in, and left with only two words.

"I'm sorry…."

RJ snapped awake, panting. It was a dream. A flashback. Nothing more. But now he felt even worse about all that had happened. Maybe he was better off without the family, as he always seems to get them into trouble. First it was his own family, then Killer, then Vincent, now Hammy. No one was safe from him.  
As he pondered this over he found himself walking down the subway tracks. He chose to hide underground because no one would think to look there. If they found him, Killer would find them.

This was his burden to carry.


	7. Out Of One Mess And Into Another

"So let me get this straight," Alex sighed as he tried to make sense of the situation. "You want me to help you find your raccoon friend, even though he shot me in the eye earlier and is scared out of his wits of me?"  
Hammy nodded furiously. "Uh-huh! I figure you know this city better than anyone, living here and all!"  
"Actually, we haven't really been outside here much. The only one who knows anything really is Melman over there." Alex said, gesturing towards the giraffe.  
Hammy scurried along the length of the wall towards the giraffe shed.  
"Will you help?" he asked, with almost pleading eyes.  
"Of course we will!" a female voice answered. Hammy turned his head to see Gloria leaning over her wall. "You're just the cutest little thing!"  
"We'll all help!" Marty chimed in.  
Hammy felt a smile spread across his face, and for a moment, he felt important.

RJ managed to avoid most of the humans filing out of the subway and worked his way back to the surface, emerging near the Rockefeller Plaza. He was surprised that the humans didn't react to his presence, but then again, New Yorkers were used to anything.  
As he made his way towards the giant statue of Prometheus that adorned the entrance of the tall building, something from behind blocked out the sunlight. RJ spun around to see Killer standing over him, glaring down with his one eye.  
"There you are!" he said, almost too comfortably, as if this were a casual conversation. "You hid from me for a while didn't ya? Thinking about all I said?"  
RJ hung his head and nodded. "Yes I know what I did was wrong. But it's not like I can't make it right again!" he perked up, looking at the dog with a half-hearted smile. He knew it wouldn't be that easy, but anything was worth a shot.  
"Because of what happened to me I was dumped out onto the streets! You took my family away from me, so I decided that I would return the favor!" Killer sneered.  
RJ's ears perked up at this. What did he mean by…..returning...the…..  
"NO!" RJ yelled almost subconsciously. "Please don't drag them into this! They did nothing wrong!"  
But it was too late. RJ's words fell on deaf ears as Killer turned and left. He had to do something in order to help his family. But what?

"I honestly don't know where else to look." An exhausted Verne said as he approached the others. "RJ's missing, Hammy's gone. This trip is turning into a nightmare!"  
"Let's not give up! We may not know where they are, but that doesn't mean we should abandon hope!" Ozzie said proudly.  
"Yeah! RJ didn't give up on saving us!" Stella added, striking her defiant pose.  
Verne nodded in agreement, but honestly felt that there was nothing more they could do. Before he could say anything, and unexpected visitor dropped in.  
"Hello!" Killer said with a smile that just oozed evil intentions.  
"Jeepers! It's that dog that saved RJ! He knows where he is!" Penny said hopefully.  
"I do know where he is! In fact, I just talked to him a few minuets ago!" Killer grinned.  
"Well, where is he?" Verne asked, feeling his hope grow once again.  
"It doesn't matter where he is. Because you ain't gonna see him again!" Killer growled.

RJ was in panic mode. The only one he could think to find refuge was with his former boss. But what he found when he arrived was unexpected. The place was trashed, even more so than usual and everyone had scattered leaving feathers…and other things…in their wake, almost as if something had them scared.  
But what struck RJ most of all was his boss, his friend, was now lying on the ground with a broken wing. Upon closer examination the wing was full of tiny holes, and so was the rest of his body. By the way he acted he didn't have much longer to live.  
"RJ?" the pigeon gasped. "Is that you?"  
"Yes." RJ whispered, kneeling closer to him. He couldn't believe that the one who took him in when he lost his family. The one who gave him steady employment, no matter what it was, was lying before him dying.  
"There's a turf war going on RJ. Unfortunately I will no longer have a part of it. But you, my friend, can stop them. I don't want to die knowing that everything I worked for will die with me."  
RJ knew where this was going. He had bigger problems than trying to manage a criminal empire in a big city. "Listen…I don't know if I'm ready. I mean, my friends are in trouble right now and I've got my tail on the line…" RJ trailed off, as guilt began to set in.  
"Don't do this to me RJ! I took you in, gave you the family you lost, made you who you are! You're going to disrespect me by not helping me out?" the pigeon coughed.  
"No it's not that…not that at all…"  
"Then show that G. Ratt guy whose the real boss around here! If not for me, then do it for yourself!"  
It was then that RJ realized that he could use this newfound resource to get him out of another situation. It seems that he had to get into trouble to get out of it.  
"I'll do it. I promise I won't let you down." RJ said.

"_Mia famigli.. Mia amico_." were the pigeon's last words. He fell limp in RJ's paws.

Hammy and the four zoo animals slipped out of the zoo quite easily as night was fast approaching and no one was around.  
"Okay." Melman said to himself, trying to get his bearings. "I think we go...this way." he gesutred towards 60th and 5th Ave. "This will take us towards Times Square. We can begin looking there and see if we find anytihng."  
Hammy eargly led the way, hoping that he wasn't too late to do anything. He would never forgive himself if that were the case. He would gladly trade all the cookies in the world just to be certain RJ was safe.  
But little did he realize, that the rest of his family was about to trade their lives for the same cause.


	8. Part Of The Family

Mia famigli. Mia amico.  
Those words played over and over again in RJ's head.  
My family. My friend.  
Indeed he was both family and friend to the late bird, as it was he who ensured RJ's place in the "family" as it were. After he had lost his family, the bird had took him in, taught him the ways of the raccoon only better, and made him the smooth talking mastermind he came to be recognized for.  
Now in a brief moment, he was gone and RJ was in control. He didn't know the first thing about running a crime family, nor did he want to get his friends involved in the turf war that was obviously erupting.  
Then there was Killer. How was he going to escape his wrath?  
RJ already had a family, and he would never forgive himself if anything happened to them.

Verne stared in horror at the massive dog before him. The way he glared at the turtle shown that he wasn't here for friendly conversation anymore.  
"What do you mean we're not going to see him anymore? Did you kill him?" Verne asked, his knees starting to quiver slightly.  
"No. Quite the contrary," Killer grinned and looked over the group. "I'm going to kill you!"  
Verne could barely respond as Killer's gnashing teeth missed him by an inch. The group began franticly running around, trying to stay in each others sight, but not get caught.  
Killer gave up on the turtle and caught Stella out of the corner of his eye. He turned his glare towards her and lunged. Stella curled up, to afraid to even use her stench against her attacker. As she waited for the inevitable, a loud sound of contact and a rush of wind caught her attention. She opened her eyes to see Tiger had knocked the dog from the air and was now furiously clawing at Killer's face.  
The fight spilled out onto the sidewalk where humans dove out of the way of the bickering animals. Tiger gained the advantage and clawed at the left eye only to find it was already missing.  
"Nice try!" Killer smirked, and managed to throw his weight enough to pin Tiger to the ground. "Now it's my turn!"  
As Killer reached for Tiger's face, a whistle caught him by surprise. He turned to see Stella behind him, reading her attack.  
"Nobody claws my boyfriend but me!"  
Before Killer could comprehend the innuendo of that sentence, a cloud of stench overwhelmed him and he collapsed, unable to stand.

A few minuets later, Killer regained conciseness and looked at the group before him. He tried to lunge, but found that he was restrained by a rope around his neck.  
"You're making a mistake," Killer warned cryptically. "RJ's a scumbag! He'll do the same to you he did to me!"  
"What are you talking about?" Verne asked, slowly approaching the thrashing beast.  
"He took my food, my eye, my LIFE!" Killer shouted, struggling more violently.  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Stella said, holding up her paws. "RJ may have done some bad things, but I can't imagine him doing something like that!"  
"Believe it sister! RJ's scum, and always will be!" Killer snarled, finally giving up his fight.  
Verne recalled when he first met RJ, and how he was tricked by his smooth talking. But the fact he redeemed himself and became a member of the family meant that he had changed. Right?  
"I was going to kill him, but I figured it would hurt more if I killed you all!" Killer said, lying on the ground as if waiting for one of his captors to let him go.  
"Jeepers, he's psychotic!" Lou said from the back of the group. Penny kept her kids close to protect them.  
Heather approached the dog, only to be pulled back be her dad. She looked in the dog's eye and saw that even though he talked like he was psychotic, he really was upset.  
"What did RJ do to you?" Heather finally asked, catching everyone else off guard.

The sun was beginning to rise and the four animals and Hammy found themselves at Rockefeller Center, where RJ had been the day before. They noticed a crowd of people and walked over to investigate. They found a show was being taped there, and Hammy gestured Melman to go over to the camera as he had an idea.

RJ was still trying to wrap his head around what was going on. He never ran a crime family before, and knew the others would frown upon it. He decided to clear his head by watching television.  
"Welcome to the Today Show. I'm Matt…"  
The man on the television was cut off when a giraffe blocked his view. Hammy scurried up Melman's neck and sat atop his head, waving at the camera.  
"Don't worry RJ, I'm looking for you! If you see this, don't worry!" he managed to blurt before security drug Melman out of the way.  
RJ stared at the television in awe. Hammy was mounting a rescue attempt, and had the animals from the zoo help him out? He was smarter than he thought.  
"That little…" RJ trailed off with a smile. He had a newfound respect for Hammy. Maybe in more ways than one.

An animal control truck arrived to cart away the subdued animals, but Hammy had an idea to save his new friends. He dove down the collar of one of the workers jumpsuits and began crawling around, causing the man to lose control and begin flailing around. This allowed the others to break free and run. Hammy scurried out of the man's pants leg and followed. The confused officers didn't know what to do next, buying the animals sometime to escape.  
"I hope RJ saw my message." Hammy muttered once he was back onboard Melman.  
"I'm sure he did. What you did back there was pretty clever." Gloria observed. This brought a smile to Hammy's face.

Heather, and everyone else for that matter, appeared visibly upset at Killer's story. Could it all be true? Could RJ have been so cold and heartless back then?  
Was he still like that now?  
"And that's why I want to kill him." Killer said with finality in his voice.  
"RJ would never do something like that, would he?" Heather asked her dad, visibly shaken.  
"No, he wouldn't." Ozzie said, comforting her.  
Verne was worried. RJ pulled this stunt before, but has he really changed?


	9. Conflict Of Interest

RJ had made it outside and ran towards Rockefeller Center hoping to find Hammy before they left in further search. As he hurried past the droning humans and bustling traffic, something caught his attention. Lying on the sidewalk, all alone, was a discarded Twinkie.  
RJ knew more than enough to not fall for that old gag. He pulled it several times when working with the pigeons, and had a feeling Hammy fell for it as well. After smirking and examining it, he found absolutely nothing wrong or out of place, and his warning senses weren't driving him nuts either. Everything seemed perfectly fine.Ignoring the butterflies in his stomach, he let his huger override his common sense. He grabbed the Twinkie and held it up, admiring it like a mother who had found her lost child. Even though potato chips were his favorite food, Twinkies were his Kryptonite. Without them he would cease to exist.  
Well maybe that was exaggerating and RJ prepared to shove the entire pastry into his mouth. The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain in the middle of his back, and swore he felt blood trickling down his fur. He spun to see a rat and a cockroach staring him down, a BB gun lying on the ground nearby.  
"What was that for!" RJ cried out, more angry than in pain.  
"We know you is socializing with them pigeons, and furthermore, that's our stash. Straight?" the rat replied.  
RJ had a feeling that these were the ones that killed his friend. "Why did you kill Robert?" he spat.  
"Who? Pops? Oh him! Yea he was steppin into our turf and had to be dusted. And if you don't get to steppin, you'll suffer the same fate."  
RJ stood firm. He was really mad now. Shooting him was one thing. But indifferently confessing to murdering his friend, well, that drew the line.  
"You do realize that now I won't go without a fight," RJ said, an almost psychotic grin beginning to form on his muzzle.  
"Bring it on en se! We take you to the cleaners holms!" the cockroach called, tapping his chest with four of his six legs.

Hammy saw RJ out of the corner of his eye, and was about to dash over to hug him when he saw the situation. RJ was staring down a rat and a roach, and there was what appeared to be small traces of blood on the ground. Before Hammy could run towards his friend, a hand grabbed him back.  
"Don't go getting your fool self hurt." Gloria warned, holding him up to look him in the eye.  
"But I got to save him!" Hammy protested, struggling to get free.  
"And get hurt? No way. How do you think he'd feel if that happened? Besides, he looks like the type that can take care of himself."  
Hammy finally nodded in agreement and was placed back upon Melman's shoulders.  
"Why don't we try to find the rest of your family? Maybe they can help too." Marty added.

"Are you going to let me go now or what?" Killer asked impatiently.  
Everyone else was still mulling over what they had heard.  
"I dunno there, that doesn't' sound like RJ at all." Lou objected.  
"Well who knows what he was like before he met us. He did almost get us killed by a bear." Verne observed.  
"That doesn't matter now. He saved us from that bear and proved his loyalty ever since. I say he's changed." Stella argued.  
"Agreed! And if it wasn't for him, I would've never met her!" Tiger said, nuzzling Stella and purring.  
"I don't think RJ would've brought us here if he knew that something like this would happen." Ozzie said. "And I did see some other troublemakers out there besides him."  
"Yeah, there was a nasty rat and an even nastier roach that was trying to hit on me. EW!" Heather grimaced at the thought.  
"A rat and a roach?" Verne asked.  
"They said something about killing a guy named Pops so they can control all the food in this city." Heather explained.  
"Pops is a nickname for the head of the pigeon families. I overheard them talking once." Killer spoke up, giving up on being freed anytime soon.  
Everyone turned and faced Killer. All of them realized what was going on now.  
"Jeepers, wasn't RJ was talking to a pigeon in the park." Penny asked.  
"Yeah, and they were the ones that kidnapped Hammy." Stella said.  
"And they wanted RJ for some reason." Verne remembered RJ telling him that.  
"So that means…" Heather trailed off.  
"RJ'S IN TROUBLE!" someone cried. Everyone jerked their attention towards the voice and found Hammy riding on the back of a giraffe, the other zoo animals following behind.

It was a fierce battle, but RJ managed to get rat on his knees and pointed the BB gun at his head.  
"You ain't got the guts to kill me." The rat said with a sly grin.  
"What makes you think I don't?" RJ asked, trying to sound threatening.  
"You don't like it when people you know get hurt."  
"I don't know you!" RJ seethed.  
"No, but I know you. See I found some 411 on you at the pigeon's crib and I must say you were a mean mutther…"  
"Shut your mouth!" RJ growled, thrusting the gun further.  
"You felt guilty for what happened that day with the dog. We heard you moping about it when you were in the subway. Now you don't want to feel guilty about killing me do ya?"  
"Rest assured, I probably won't."  
"RJ!" a collective voice cried. RJ snapped his attention up to see the four zoo animals, and all of his family, staring in awe. RJ glanced back at the gun pointed to the rats head and realized that this was indeed an awkward situation.  
"This isn't what it looks like! He killed Robert! He killed my friend, and I made a promise that I would return the favor!" RJ explained.  
"What Killer said was true. You haven't changed." Verne said flatly, shaking his head.  
Hammy sniffed back tears. Everyone else was visibly hurt as well.  
RJ was beginning to feel guilty now. If he killed this scum, his family would never forgive him and he would be back on his own. But if he didn't, than his promise to his other family would go unfulfilled.  
"I made a promise, I have to do this!" RJ tried to justify what was going on. He felt tears forming in his eyes.  
"No you don't!" Stella said. "Letting him live with what he's done would be punishment enough!"  
"But he doesn't feel any guilt about what he did!"

"And what makes you think you won't?" Hammy asked, being surprisingly profound all the sudden.

That question made RJ drop the gun.


	10. Busted!

"You don't understand. No one does! This rat killed my only true father figure I ever knew! Now you just want me to let him go?" RJ asked, becoming overwhelmed with emotion.  
"No RJ, you deserve to have closure, but murdering someone to get revenge doesn't make you any better than him." Verne stated in his always wise tone, gesturing to the still kneeling rat.  
RJ unexpectedly grabbed G. Rat by his arms and jerked them behind his back, trying his wrists to his ankles with his tail. "That should keep you out of trouble until I decide you're fate." RJ said firmly.

Before anyone could do anything else, a swarm of Animal Control vehicles and Police surrounded the collective group. As they tried to run they all were subdued and placed into cages aboard the truck. The zoo animals however, were tranquilized and stored in a bigger vehicle.  
Everyone sat in silence as the trucks pulled off into the night.  
"I'm sorry guys." Hammy said softly. "It's my fault, because I broke the others out of the zoo. I got us all in trouble, didn't I?"  
RJ tried to reach though the bars of his cage to comfort Hammy. "Now it's not your fault. You mounted a rescue attempt all by yourself, and you found me too! I think you're better than what you believe you are."  
Hammy sniffed and smiled, looking up at RJ with a glint in his eye.  
"Aww how sick!" a voice snarled. RJ instantly recognized it. "Makes my damn teeth hurt!"  
"Killer?" RJ asked in almost a whisper. "What are you doing here?"  
'Thank your friends for that! I tried to kill them, they overpowered me, and the next thing I know I'm sharing a cell with all of you! I tell ya, it's not easy to kill anyone anymore!"  
"I thought we went over this." Heather said, scowling.  
"Yeah, yeah I know. Nothing against you toots, but I still hate RJ and want to kill him."  
"Sounds familiar." Verne mumbled, drawing a sharp look from RJ.  
"I got a plan to bust us all out of here!" RJ finally said in an effort to lighten the mood. Despite the almost darkness they were in, RJ could feel Killer staring at him.  
"What about my friends?" Hammy asked.  
"We'll worry about them as soon as we get out. But first I need help. And that goes for EVERYBODY." RJ emphasized looking at Killer and G. Rat.  
"Man I ain't helpin' no body! You tried to kill me!" G. Rat protested.  
"Sounds to me like we share a common enemy." Killer said with a smirk.  
"We're not here to form alliances against each other! We're here because I screwed up big time in dragging all you here, and now I'm going to make it right. So shut up right now!" RJ barked in a sudden burst of anger.  
The truck fell silent as RJ tried to think.

"This all seems too familiar." Alex called from inside his crate. "Who knows where they'll send us this time."  
"I just hope our little squirrel buddy is alright." Marty said, trying to get comfortable."It's his fault we're in here! I knew we shouldn't have helped!" Alex huffed, crossing his arms.  
"Now don't blame the poor little guy for your mistakes." Gloria snapped from her crate. "He tried to help his friends. There's nothing wrong with that."  
"Well is he going to help us if he gets free?" Alex asked in a matter of fact tone.  
There was a silence until Melman piped up. "I'm sure he will!"

"Okay boys! We've got a 10-10 with at least 15 10-8's that we need to interject. This is a serious search and rescue that must be followed to the letter to guarantee success. We'll go after the smaller ones first as they can help us with the rescue of the higher mammals." Skipper commanded, showing a somehow obtained roadmap of New York with the route of the animal convoy drawn on it. "Now let's roll!"  
The penguins suited up with various dart guns, ping pong ball guns, regular darts, fishing poles, homemade smoke bombs and various other tools of the trade. How they obtained all this stuff was top secret really.

"Now RJ, I know it's a shame you lost your family the way you did. But if you accept my offer and work for me, I will give you the family that you lost. You will be my star pupil!" Robert exclaimed, patting a young RJ on the shoulder.  
RJ nodded, still overcome with emotion. It was strange how his mother died. Now he had a foster family if he wanted to join, as his father was no where to be found. "I'll take you up on your offer." He finally spoke up, shaking Robert's wing.  
As RJ continued to watch the flashback play out in his mind, he suddenly realized something. His father was real quiet about what he did for a living, and RJ was too young to care. But now, with this gang war and all of that going on he began to realize something.  
Something he refused to even think about any further.


	11. Rescue Attempt

As the convoy headed down The Avenue of the Americas towards 59th Street where the Humane Society waited, the animals all remained quiet. Everyone occasionally looked over in RJ's direction, hoping he would finally have an answer. But all they saw was a grieving raccoon lost in his own thoughts.  
"Listen, RJ…about what was going on back there…you want to," Verne rubbed the back of his neck, "talk about it or something?" he finally asked, hoping that conversation might open RJ up a little and clue everyone else in what was going on.  
RJ continued to rest his head and paws on his knees, staring into the darkness around him as if he were the only one in the vehicle.  
"Don't mope, RJ. It's not going to accomplish anything." Verne chided, his expression growing annoyed.  
"I figured it all out." RJ finally said, his voice dry and almost a whisper.  
"What?"  
"I figured it all out."  
"So how do we get out of here?"  
"No! Not that." RJ said waving a hand as he stood up and began pacing the length of his cage. "I mean, I figured out what was going on. Why everything happened the way it did."  
"What are you talking about?" Verne was getting confused and a bit worried at his friends mental stability.  
"My mother dying, Robert taking me in, it was all a damn setup!"  
"What? RJ, you've completely and totally lost it." Verne was angered now. "You're supposed to think of a way to get us out!"  
"Maybe I shouldn't!" RJ snapped, making Verne freeze in surprise. "After what I figured out it's probably for the better that I don't come back!"  
"What are you talking about, there?" Penny asked, trying to comfort the kids who were now afraid of RJ.  
"My own father had my mother killed, and Robert and his boys were the ones to do it! Then dad let Robert take me in. He killed her just so I could become his inside man!" RJ rambled, his voice cracking and fading.  
"What makes you even think that?" Verne asked, growing more and more concerned.  
"There's no thinking about it! Don't you see?" RJ gestured to his eyes as if telling Verne to pay closer attention, "It all connects together so well! It explains why he never came back for me! Why he always asked me what the pigeons were up too instead of 'how are you doing son?' It all makes sense!"  
"So, what you're trying to say is…" Ozzie tried to make sense of what he was hearing.  
"That my whole life was turned upside down and I just now realized it!" RJ finished the sentence.  
"Well that's all well and good, but how do we get out of…"  
Verne was cut off by the sound of something hitting the rear of the truck, echoing throughout the space.

"Okay boys! We've established contact!" Skipper commanded, hanging onto the fishing pole that he had used as a makeshift grappling hook. The line was tied to a large hook that was now hanging onto the truck's bumper. "Commencing boarding procedures!"  
As the other troops followed his command, one of the police escorts noticed them climbing up the rear of the truck.  
"Do you copy? We got hostile penguins, over?"  
"Hostile penguins?" the voice on the radio asked.  
In an effort to break their fishing line, he eased the front bumper of the cruiser into the rear of the truck, causing the animals inside to be shaken around violently.  
"What's going on out there?" Lou asked, grabbing his cage bars to keep from falling.  
"Okay boys! We need to shake Johnny Law here! Rico? Diversionary tactic!" Skipper commanded.  
Rico saluted and proceeded to cough up one of their home made smoke bombs. He tossed it at the windshield of the police cruiser, causing the cop to lose control and swerve off the road, taking out a nearby fire hydrant.  
"Excellent work!" Skipper commented.

"What is all that racket?" Alex asked, hearing the muffled action through his crate.  
"I don't know. Maybe someone's trying to rescue us?" Marty asked, unsure of if he was right or not.  
"The only one's left that would try to rescue us are…" Gloria trailed off.  
"Oh no." Alex groaned, slapping a paw over his eyes.  
"We need to open this door! Rico?"  
Rico coughed up a can opener and began peeling the truck door away enough for the four to slip through. The animals inside were happy to see them and thankful for being rescued.  
"Okay, " RJ commanded, stretching now that he was outside his cage, "here's what we're going to do. We…"RJ trailed off as he mentally done a head count of everyone before him."Where's Hammy?"  
As if on cue to answer his question, the truck lurched them forward with a sickening crunch. RJ scurried up front to see Hammy had somehow commandeered the truck and began ramming the bigger truck ahead where his zoo friends were being held.

Naturally this drew the attention of the police escort, who began surrounding the smaller truck. RJ saw this and relayed what was going on.  
"Okay boys…and girls," Skipper added noticing Heather and Stella. "When the time comes everyone must learn to defend themselves. " he began handing out BB guns to everyone, who looked at them strangely for a moment.  
"I don't really condone violence." Verne said sheepishly, declining to take a gun.  
Skipper walked up to the turtle and lightly slapped him across the f ace. "This is a kill or be killed situation! Snap out of it private!"  
The others continued to hand out weapons as Skipper continued talking.  
"Each of you has 20 shots in your gun, 19 of which will be your protection."  
"What about the last one?" RJ asked, joining the others.  
"That's to give you an incentive to make the others count!" Skipper replied.  
RJ got the idea, and grimaced slightly.

"Alright boys…and girls. OPEN FIRE!"


End file.
